Visa advice and property investment options for Spain's Golden Visa.

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We have received a number of enquiries regarding the minimum stay requirement in Spain for the investor visa. Tax residency and citizenship in Spain are also questions that arise. In summary:

There is no minimum stay requirement. You can obtain the investor visa after completing on the property purchase(s) over €500,000. You do not need to spend time in Spain but you do need to be present (for a few days) to re-apply every two years.

You can keep renewing the investor visa if you retain the real estate investment. You can also apply for permanent residency. To do this you need to spend five years living in Spain. (ie over 6 months each year). Then you no longer need to retain the investment.

To apply for citizenship in Spain (and hence European citizenship allowing you to live and work anywhere in Europe) you need to demonstrate 10 years permanent residency.

You will not pay tax in Spain on worldwide income unless you are resident in Spain (ie live there more than six months a year).

Hello,
First of all, allow me to thank you for being the most clear and up-front website on this issue.
I will be traveling to Spain in the next few months from China with a Chinese citizen. Her goal is to purchase a property in order to obtain the visa for her and her family. I just want to verify that indeed, the law is legitimate, and that the investment is in fact 500K Euros. Any other “fine print” or strings attached? Any place where I can read the actual law?
Sincerely,
Martin in Beijing.

Thank you for your comments. The legislation is in fact part of a much wider law…. and of course it is in Spanish. But we prefer any clients do consult more closely with one of our partner law firms for their particular circumstances. I’ll email you separately on this. The main small print is no criminal record, you must have medical insurance and you must demonstrate the ability to support yourself, in case you decide to reside in Spain. Subject to this the visa is granted for a property purchase of 500,000 Euros.

Hi,
I do not require a VISA as such for Spain but would be very interested on a Tax residency in Spain with taxation only of Spanish related income but not on Wordwide. Have I understood correctly that this is possible with the investor visa? Is it otherwise equivalent to the Portuguese non-habitual residency scheme?
Thank you

It is possible in the sense that the investor visa does not require you to stay in Spain. Therefore you would not be tax resident in Spain and you would only be taxed on income within Spain. Practically this means you keep a property in Spain, travel as and when you like to Spain and the other European Schengen visa countries but without tax residency.

You will need to add taxes and notary fees to the investment. Typically 11% for any Spanish property.
The investment can be for multiple properties as long as it adds up to more than the €500,000.
It can be registered in two names for legal purpose but you will not get a residence visa for both unless they are husband and wife.

I see. We need to be a little careful here. Probably no issue if they are married but if not it may be viewed as a 50% share. But we can clarify this with our lawyers. Best for you to contact us through our investment visa website http://www.propertyvisaspain.com with full details either call us or email and we can help you from there.

Mother and daughter should be fine our lawyers advise. Son in law is outside immediate family. As your daughter is already a permanent resident in Europe I suggest a closer consultation with the lawyers because she would not be applying for the golden visa in Spain.

How could the contact with the lawyers be made? Could we call them or email? Or is there a way of getting the mother into Spain when the daughter has a permanent residency status in one of the Schengen countries?

For any clients using La Vida Spain to buy property (our service is free) then initial questions and liaison with lawyers to establish eligibility for the golden visa are free. Anything complex the lawyers may charge for. But things are usually straightforward.

I need your help on my case,,, I am from middle east and want to get the golden visa but I have the following questions need your answers:

1- is there a maximum age for applicant and accompanying children? ( for example I have a 19 years old child , will be included in the file) and I am 58 years old.
2- The total period of the program? from the date of purchasing the property until receiving the Golden visa?
3- Is there Gov’t fees or application fees in addition to the 500 K property + 11% taxation
4- When I can apply for the Permanent Residency ?
5- When I can apply for the citizenship ( the passport) ? what is the exact number of days of living in order to obtain the permanent Residency and then the passport
6- Is there a governmental website that I can see all details for this program

ben
Hi. i am a Filipino and Canadian citizen. I know that the Spanish government will allow citizenship to nationals of former colonies (Latin America, Philippines, etc) with 2 year residency in Spain. My question is if I invest in the Golden Visa and stay in Spain for 2 years, will I be able to apply for citizenship based on my filipino status? My thinking is that I will be able to enter on this investor visa rather than try and get a worker visa. I don’t need to work and want to get the citizenship for my children.

If you invest and enter through the golden visa route you gain residency. I expect then you can use your nationality to claim citizenship switching to the other rules. But really this is a question for a visa lawyer. I can put you in touch with one of our recommended lawyers if you wish.

In fact Ben I’ve asked this question of our lawyers and they advise that if you proceed with the golden visa then after two years of residency you can apply for Spanish citizenship. You will need to show your residency card. So you have to live in Spain for those two years.

I am from middle east and want to get the golden visa, but I have a few questions that I would like to be, if possible, answered:

1- is there a maximum age for applicant and accompanying children? (for example I have an 18-year old son, and a 20-year old girl, whom will be included in the file) and I am 40 years old.
2- The total period of the program? from the date of purchasing the property until receiving the Golden visa?
3- Is there Gov’t fees or application fees in addition to the 500 K property + 11% taxation
4- When I can apply for the Permanent Residency ?
5- When I can apply for the citizenship ( the passport) ? what is the exact number of days of living in order to obtain the permanent Residency and then the passport
6- Is there a governmental website that I can see all details for this program

Hi Rim, my colleague Edwina Keyser has emailed you a reply but for the benefit of the forum…
Your children can be included if in full time education. However if you are looking for eventual citizenship the golden visa programme in Portugal is a better option. In Spain you can gain permanent residency after 5 years and citizenship after 10 years but you must live in the country to qualify. In Portugal you do not have to live in the country and you can gain permanent residency after 5 years and citizenship after 6 years. There is more information on the golden visa in Portugal on our website at http://www.lavidaportugal.com